mhiggott

The original Amityville Horror was something of a horror classic, and it is therefore understandable that over the decades that followed, many attempts have been made to cash in on the Amityville name, with results varying from mediocre to downright abysmal. Along comes this film, imagined as a sequel to the original film, with a decent budget, a good cast...what could go wrong? Well, as it turns out, plenty. The cast, including Ryan Reynolds, Melissa George, and Chloe Grace Moretz in an early role, should have made this film at least reasonably good, but there's a real lack of new ideas here, and director Andrew Douglas, in his feature film debut, doesn't get the best out of them. There's no real chemistry between Reynolds and George, and the kids don't really feel like they're part of the family.

Ultimately, a lack of ideas, mediocre writing, and some dreadfully schlocky effects (particularly right at the end) make this no better than some of the low-budget cash-ins that followed the original film. It's kind of 'Amityville by Numbers' but without getting past 2.

First of all, this is a (presumably very) low-budget horror/thriller, and I presume that none of the cast are established full-time professional actors. It would therefore be unfair to compare it will multi-million pound Hollywood blockbusters, but...

there are several aspects that combine to make a good film - good ideas, a good script, a coherent, well though-out plot, good acting, good direction, good cinematography, good sets, good sound, a good score, etc. Honestly, I couldn't say that any of these aspects of this film are good. There are one or two actors who did a decent job, particularly (the rather gorgeous) Alice Sharpe and writer/director Adam Starks. The rest are generally a bit am-dram. The plot and the script are a bit shaky, as is the cinematography (literally). The score is also a bit grating. I did watch to the end though, and overall I have to give all involved credit for making a feature-length film that has its moments. Overall, though, not a great watch.

Julia (Maika Monroe) relocates with her Romanian-heritage husband to Bucharest after he gets promoted. Here she becomes uncomfortable, feeling that a neighbour is following her and watching her from the block of flats opposite. At the same time, a series of grisly murders takes place.

A psychological thriller somewhere between Olivier Assayas and Alfred Hitchcock, the setting of Bucharest helps (unless you're Romanian I guess) to identify with the sense of isolation and alienation felt by Julia.

Some of the cinematography is excellent, but there's also some annoying hand-held shaky-cam that loses marks in my book. The acting is good (particularly Monroe), although Burn Gorman's take on the weird neighbour is somewhat hammy.

Definitely worth watching, although the ending could have been more convincing.

6.5/10.